This is a comprehensive guide to the golden age of ancient Greece, shown in over 200 colour photographs, diagrams, detailed maps and plans. Featuring detailed accounts of armies, battle campaigns and military strategies from the collapse of the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations to the astonishing exploits of Alexander the Great a thousand years later. It highlights include detailed chapters on the Persian Wars, the rise and fall of the Athenian Empire and the rule of Sparta, as well as in-depth examinations of key figures such as Pericles of Athens and Dionysius of Syracuse. Opening with the Minoan and Mycenaean Bronze Age cultures, this encyclopedic history tracks the rebirth of Greece after its intervening Dark Age. Witness the birth of world's 'first' individuals and discover the men and women who helped to build and destroy city-states and armies. You can learn how the dynamic interaction of politics, philosophy, history, love and war resulted in a uniquely captivating story of battles, tyrants, soldiers and slaves. Through over 200 vivid photographs, artworks, maps and plans, ancient Greece and her political and military history are brought to life. This is an essential account of the people, places and events that shaped and transformed ancient Greece, leaving a legacy that underlies much of the modern world.